Well, basically the problem is that customization provides longevity for the game. And probably even more importantly some stock variants are vastly better than others, so you'd still see mostly the few best builds.

This isn't NASCAR. Adapt or Die. having said that, a canon option would be fun, but PGI has waay too much on their plate to worry about that now.

Yeah, but adapt or die is boring when I'm forced to use a small subset of builds. Same goes with mechs like the Raven... I wish they'd keep specialisation so there's reason to use more mechs and more varied builds.

And this also speaks to another poster above, longevity will only come if the customisation allows for people to make effective and varied builds. Not, "build x or y will **** you".

Yeah, but adapt or die is boring when I'm forced to use a small subset of builds. Same goes with mechs like the Raven... I wish they'd keep specialisation so there's reason to use more mechs and more varied builds.

And this also speaks to another poster above, longevity will only come if the customisation allows for people to make effective and varied builds. Not, "build x or y will **** you".

theres a simple rule : adapt your tactics and gameplay
because you dont want to learn how to be better .. you ask PGI to fix it for you.. after they fixed that problem and you getting "owned " ( i dont like that word ) by the same stock build as your mech.. your coming here and want a gamemode where just ppl with the same skill and same mechs can play ?

serious.. sometimes you just need to learn how to play.. and thats an advice and not a flame.

And yes, I would love to see a stock-mech only option, but because I am more of a BT purist.

Likewise.

But I don't think the customization system we have is too bad, it at least tries to preserve some flavor of the original chassis/variant. I don't love the focus on mechlabwarrior, but I've really encountered no builds I couldn't beat, even using the stock variants without any modifications.

"Stock car racing" is dead. NASCAR is a sport with very specific rules on how the cars are built (all custom) and tuned.

Kind of like the mechlab system of hardpoints and weight limitations. You can show up with any applicable chassis (we have more than NASCAR), and nearly any combination of engine/armor/armaments - with specific limits on WHAT kind of armaments we can load.

CANON is a bad word to use, because basically everything in MWO's mechlab could be done in "CANON" tabletop mech construction. A better word to use would have been 'original variants.'

Caraphract is a new mech, and has 4 ballistic slots. It is hardly surprising many people want to play around with it! You would have seen the same with the Cicada if that mech was useful in any form outside on denying the other team a light.
Streaks have been buffed, why would people not want to test what has changed...
Jenners are the best lights by far, why would you not want to see light mechs be successful?
Seen more cats with ac20s then Gauss myself.

Canon mode stock mech choices would be very limited.....you would probably only see 2/3 used for ever, no changes so no change :/

theres a simple rule : adapt your tactics and gameplay[/color]because you dont want to learn how to be better .. you ask PGI to fix it for you.. after they fixed that problem and you getting "owned " ( i dont like that word ) by the same stock build as your mech.. your coming here and want a gamemode where just ppl with the same skill and same mechs can play ?

serious.. sometimes you just need to learn how to play.. and thats an advice and not a flame

Sorry dude, but you need a slap in the face with a AC20. It has nothing to do with L2P, and I would gladly take you on in a mech of your choice and show you that (Only we cant because PGI is working on 3rd person).

Its about capturing the flavour and feel of the mech battles we read about in the books. Its more about tactics and individual skill rather than min/max builds that wouldnt work in the cannon universe.

I hope the meta game introduces stuff like supply, where if you field a streak cat you run the chance of not getting resuppiled with ammo for a week. That would be a great leveler.

In the meantime, I look forward to the time the MM pitches us against each other.

Yeah, but adapt or die is boring when I'm forced to use a small subset of builds. Same goes with mechs like the Raven... I wish they'd keep specialisation so there's reason to use more mechs and more varied builds.

And this also speaks to another poster above, longevity will only come if the customisation allows for people to make effective and varied builds. Not, "build x or y will **** you".

Except, you do realize, that you are advocating a game mode that purposely restricts players to a small subset of builds?

I'm not saying that a canon mode wouldn't be fun, but let's not pretend it's going to lead to diversity. There will still be flavors of the month, etc. We'll just have a different - and noncustomizable - set of them.

The perils of the mechlab on actual game play balance have long been discussed since the beginning of beta. Hardpoints were meant to preserve some sense of viability for different weapon system types and mech loadouts, but given current conditions people always gravitate to the most effective solution.

CANON is a bad word to use, because basically everything in MWO's mechlab could be done in "CANON" tabletop mech construction. A better word to use would have been 'original variants.'

Technically, but the construction rules aren't there to turn K2's in Gauss puking machines, it's to make your own Gauss puking machines. Though I think the modification rules on the other hand worked similar to the mechlab.

Either way I think a Stockmech option would be very interesting. Seems like it would be harder to enforce at the owned mech level unless they added a "revert to stock" button. Which wouldn't be to hard to do I guess. Though it seems like it would be easier if they made the trial mech roster bigger and had a trial only option maybe.

Technically, but the construction rules aren't there to turn K2's in Gauss puking machines, it's to make your own Gauss puking machines. Though I think the modification rules on the other hand worked similar to the mechlab.

Good point, but I think by virtue of the fact that we can rename the mechs in the mechlab indicates that we are creating our own mechs. The only reason they look like a k2, etc. is due to engine/art limitations.

The thing is to come up with a total redesign in BT is prohibitively expensive. Entire nations struggle to do so, yet we as individuals can do so with impunity.

The costs for radically modifying a mech away from stock should be crazy.

In cannon there were many custom mechs, but they were the exception rather than the rule. In MWO its the reverse.

I am all for player freedom and giving the choice to the player, but we should do so within constraints. The HP system is too flexible IMHO and allows players too much freedom to try to exploit the system.

The thing is to come up with a total redesign in BT is prohibitively expensive. Entire nations struggle to do so, yet we as individuals can do so with impunity.

The costs for radically modifying a mech away from stock should be crazy.

In cannon there were many custom mechs, but they were the exception rather than the rule. In MWO its the reverse.

I am all for player freedom and giving the choice to the player, but we should do so within constraints. The HP system is too flexible IMHO and allows players too much freedom to try to exploit the system.

Fist off it's canon, not cannon. Secondly, I see your point, but let's remember the TT game is canon, and (really) so are the previous MW titles to most people. The original game and all previous games have allowed, in most cases, even greater freedom of customization than MWO. So, to me, the current system seems like a pretty good compromise.